GAMMA Investing LLC Acquires 3,684 Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ:HST) by 42.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,275 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,684 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts were worth $215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Host Hotels & Resorts by 537.4% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,893,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,318,000 after purchasing an additional 5,811,722 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 66.9% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 13,637,328 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,017,000 after purchasing an additional 5,466,629 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Host Hotels & Resorts by 207.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,198,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484,370 shares during the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its stake in shares of Host Hotels & Resorts by 20.2% in the second quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 7,962,687 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,169,000 after purchasing an additional 1,339,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its stake in Host Hotels & Resorts by 92.9% in the 3rd quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 2,764,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,652,000 after buying an additional 1,331,407 shares in the last quarter. 98.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of HST stock opened at $17.05 on Wednesday. Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. has a one year low of $15.71 and a one year high of $21.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 2.90 and a quick ratio of 2.90. The company has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.55 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $18.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.67.

Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.24). The company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. Host Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 12.92% and a return on equity of 10.72%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Host Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.69%. Host Hotels & Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Host Hotels & Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Compass Point upgraded Host Hotels & Resorts from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $18.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.19.

Host Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc is an S&P 500 company and is the largest lodging real estate investment trust and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. The Company currently owns 72 properties in the United States and five properties internationally totaling approximately 42,000 rooms.